Hailey (SEED LA ’26) arrived at SEED with a clear goal: to discover her future path and build a roadmap to get there. “I told myself that by sophomore year, I would know exactly where I want to go, and how I was going to do it,” she recalls. Today, she speaks with the confidence of someone who has found her calling: “I want to be a cardiothoracic surgeon.”
The journey to that clarity wasn’t immediate. Hailey was initially hesitant about the boarding school model, but her mother saw something Hailey couldn’t yet see—a college-prep environment that would push her to reach her full potential. It didn’t take long for Hailey to find her stride. Embracing her new environment, she stepped out of her comfort zone and leaned into leadership. “I saw myself transforming into a straight A student and a leader in student government. I found my voice and the confidence to socialize. My mother saw a version of my future that I couldn't see at the time.”
As Hailey continues to seek out new challenges, she views SEED as the catalyst for her long-term vision. “Being here has helped me understand the things I want to do—not just today but years from now. SEED is the kind of school that doesn’t just focus on today—it pushes you to think about where you’ll be in 10 years.”
Hailey’s path to the operating room is already paved with significant milestones. In the classroom, she has mastered anatomy, physiology, and biomedicine. After school, she participates in a medical career training program where she engages directly with professionals. “We have doctors and scientists share their experiences—what they do and how they do it. It's exciting to see all the different paths available in the medical field.”
One experience in particular solidified her passion: attending a national medical conference in Boston. Her face lights up when she describes meeting Dr. Timothy Nelson, a cardiovascular surgeon specializing in regenerative medicine. “I learned about taking skin cells and turning them into heart cells. Seeing that, I thought, ‘Oh my God—medicine is the one thing I will be passionate about forever.’”
The future is wide open for Hailey. This fall, she joins the prestigious Posse Scholar cohort at Bucknell University, where she will major in pre-medicine. As she moves toward her dream of becoming a surgeon, the SEED community will be right by her side—supporting her as she navigates and makes her mark on another new environment.